Weather, SuperBowl, Pettitte and More

As I sit in my home office on the north side of Houston in the 1960 area (which some are trying to re-name Cypress Creek Parkway) I see no ice, sleet or snow outside.  The street is dry.  Sure it is cold.  My computer weather site says it is 28, but the thermometer outside the door downstairs registers a few degrees higher.

Naturally that weather report turns ones thoughts to... just how much worse it is in the Arlington, Fort Worth, Dallas area where SuperBowl 45 is set for Sunday.  They have up to five or six inches of snow on the ground with little equipment to remove it.  It has turned the big week in North Texas into a financial and fan friendly failure.  Fortunately by Saturday things are supposed to be improving enough so that by Sunday things will be much more bearable.

It is admirable that the NFL is trying to bring the SuperBowl to various locales...sort of as a reward for communities agreeing to build its teams new stadiums.  Certainly the stadium in Arlington, Cowboy Stadium, would be a wonderful site for multiple games.  It is the largest in the league.  It has a retractable roof.  But it cannot over come being located where it is...or the inconsistent weather patterns for North Texas this time of year.  The location in Arlington has required a very spread out venue for the pre-game activities.  That is the biggest weakness.  New Orleans is probably the best SuperBowl site of all.  The weather is usually very satisfactory and all the venues--including some unofficial ones--like Bourbon Street are all within walking distance.  Even the Miami area with the best weather of all can't beat that.  The Stadium is not near anything else.  Strangely enough cold weather Indianapolis will have a New Orleans-like site.  Everything is close to Lucas Oil Stadium.  Many of them are connected by walkways as well.  Of course, no one except New Orleans has Bourbon Street.

The most interesting game will be the open air game in late January or early February in New Jersey.  I will be the first to say, "What were they thinking?"  The NFL might luck out.  Perhaps by then weather patterns will be different and they will miss the snow and extreme cold.  The odds are not good. 

Perhaps THAT game will convince the league that if they want to keep their game what it always has been it must never leave a covered stadium...or Miami and go nowhere North of DFW (and that may be marginal.)

All I know is I am very happy my job has never called for coverage of SuperBowl Week--no matter where it was played.

ANDY PETTITTE IS A TEXAS BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER

The news that Andy Pettitte was to announce his retirement from baseball after a 16 year career came Friday.  Thirteen of those seasons were with the Yankees and the other three with the Astros.  He won 240 and lost 136 with a career 3.88 ERA.  Those numbers may leave him a bit short of the Baseball Hall of Fame, but even if they do, he is at least a "mythical" Texas Baseball Hall of Famer for sure.

I use the term "mythical" since the actual operation of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame is in limbo right now.  There have been no inductions or active organization for a few years.  When things are started up again you can be sure Andy will be right at the top of the list of new inductees. 

Andy--a native Texan-- qualifies for the TBHOF on that standpoint.  But his three years with the Astros co-incided with the most successful trio of seasons of all time for the club.  The Astros won their first playoff series during the Pettitte-Clemens years as well as their first NL title and World Series berth. 

So, Andy, enjoy retirement.  You have been one of the best for a long time.